GTA 6 vs GTA 5: What can Rockstar do differently?

Whenever a mainline GTA game has been released, it significantly improved, if not tranformed, the quality of their games. This has helped them stand apart, gain a foothold, and eventually establish dominance in the gaming industry.

Over time, the leap from one game to the next has only increased in scale and complexity.

When GTA 4 came out, it blew away all expectations people had about the game. Like with all such ambitious transitions, there were some rough corners, but nothing much to feel aggrieved about.

Similarly, GTA 5 proved that Rockstar can carry over an overtly-ambitious project to its fruition. When it comes to GTA 6, the stakes could not be any higher.

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How can Rockstar make GTA 6 different from GTA 5?

There is plenty of debate about the changes that GTA 6 should incorporate, like gameplay features, new content or story direction. This article, however, is about certain aspects of GTA 5 and the series as a whole, that the next game must decide to retain or alter.

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Arcade vs Realism

There are many arguments to be made about which HD Universe game is better. The basis for the majority of such arguments is steeped in the debate of realism vs arcade-like experience.

GTA 4 was an ambitious project even by Rockstar's standards. It marked a major transition between the action-oriented over-the-top storylines of the 3D era. Although GTA games have always had a hint of maturity in their plots, it was mostly conveyed through humor.

GTA 4 took things up a notch by incorporating a much darker tone, one that could rival that of popular crime thrillers. While the story had elements that were inspired by the Brat movies, it was mostly an original narrative.

The result was some of the best storytelling that Rockstar had ever produced, at the expense of mass appeal. Many fans were disappointed with the grim outlook of GTA 4 and wanted a return to the light-hearted days of the former games.

With GTA 5, Rockstar decided to satisfy the entire spectrum of GTA fans with its action-oriented soap opera-like drama and sudden moments of stark realism. It worked out quite well for them economically, as GTA 5 became the most popular game made by Rockstar.

When it comes to GTA 6, Rockstar has to choose whether to compromise quality in favor of popularity, a common dilemma for modern video games.

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Style of gameplay

The GTA series and the Red Dead Redemption games are both open-world action/adventure games made by Rockstar. Yet the two franchises are quite distinct from each other.

Apart from the obvious difference of setting, both game series have a unique style to them from which players get a sense of familiarity. The RDR games are completely focused on realism, with their dramatic storylines and realistic gameplay with a focus on survival.

On the other hand, the GTA games have always had an arcade-like aspect to them. Players can switch between a wide range of weapons almost magically, and also store large amounts of ammunition in a similar manner.

There are a ton of other such aspects in the GTA games which present the game worlds as playgrounds of chaos. GTA 6 must decide whether to continue in this vein and follow GTA 5, or to imitate RDR 2.